The ThorpyFX Judge Death Deathbringer is an analog distortion pedal built around the company's Warthog circuit, dressed in a limited edition theme drawn from the Deadworld comic character Judge Death12. ThorpyFX describes it as "a guitar pedal of sonic annihilation to boost, drive, distort or fuzz up your reality", and claims the Deathbringer/Warthog platform "delivers the biggest range of tones of any overdrive/distortion pedal on the market", running from crystal clean boost through distortion and on to fuzz1. It sits in the distortion lane but reaches into boost and fuzz territory at either end of its travel.
From clean boost to fuzzy distortion
The Deathbringer keeps the Warthog's two-knob layout: caliber and gain. ThorpyFX says that "with the calibre and gain controls cranked you get a crushing distortion with fuzzy overtones at the very extremes of travel"1. At the other end of the range, the Warthog platform is described by ThorpyFX as having "an ability to go from crystal clean boost through to distortion"3, which is why the maker frames the pedal as covering boost, drive, distortion and fuzz in one box1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Caliber | Shapes the character of the drive; cranked with gain, it pushes the pedal into crushing distortion with fuzzy overtones1 |
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive; at the extremes of travel with caliber up, the breakup turns fuzzy1 |
The Warthog circuit the Deathbringer is built on has its own history. Guitar.com's 2016 review of the Warthog quoted designer Adrian Thorpe on how it related to the company's earlier Gunshot pedal: "I wanted it to complement the Gunshot, and consequently it has a flatter, less mid-focused EQ - and it can get cleaner and much dirtier"4. That flatter voicing and wide clean-to-fuzzy range is what the Deathbringer inherits.
Is it based on the Warthog?
Yes. ThorpyFX's own page states that "the Deathbringer is built around our beloved Warthog pedal"1, and RockBoard's PedalPedia likewise describes it as "built around the revered Warthog circuit", listing it as a variant of the ThorpyFX Warthog2. In practice that makes it a themed edition of the Warthog rather than a new circuit: the Judge Death naming and artwork come from the Deadworld collaboration, in which, as ThorpyFX puts it, "Hailing from Deadworld, Judge Death has crossed through a dimensional breach into Mega-City One"1.
The Deathbringer is a limited edition themed version of the Warthog. Players comparing the two should expect the same core circuit; the differences are the enclosure artwork and naming12.
Power, size and build
The pedal runs on 9V DC with center negative polarity and draws 25mA, figures that put it comfortably within reach of a standard pedalboard power supply12. The original Warthog could also run from a battery, powered by "9v centre-negative power supply or battery" according to Guitar.com's review4; the Deathbringer's maker page lists the 9V DC requirement and current draw without mentioning a battery option42.
Physically it is a compact box: 65mm wide, 125mm long and 53mm high to the top of the knobs1. ThorpyFX highlights the build as "recessed knobs and top mounted jacks", with a laser engraved anodised aluminum center console on a tough powder coated steel baseplate, and says the "premium sound is enhanced through the use of premium components all wrapped in a beautiful custom engineered enclosure"1. Top mounted jacks and the narrow footprint help it fit alongside other pedals on a crowded board.
Sources (4)
- JUDGE DEATH DEATHBRINGER, ThorpyFX
- Judge Death Deathbringer Warthog by ThorpyFX, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- WARTHOG | Distortion, ThorpyFX
- ThorpyFX Warthog review, Guitar.com, 2016-05-11
